


All the King's Men

by Dragestil



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nonbinary Link, Selectively Mute Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 18:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15055574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragestil/pseuds/Dragestil
Summary: Having restored all of the memories Zelda left for them, Link struggles to cope with the traumas of their past while continuing the search for the Master Sword and the strength to defeat Calamity Ganon at last. Though nightmares plague them, perhaps the support of an unlikely ally will give them the courage they need to persevere.





	All the King's Men

**Author's Note:**

> To see more of my work, make requests, and support me further, please check out my [Tumblr.](http://dragestil.tumblr.com/)

The nightmares began almost as soon as they recovered the last memory Zelda left for them. Before dawn could break, supposedly safe in their bed, they woke up in a cold sweat, sitting straight upright and grasping desperately at something or someone unseen. They exhaled and leaned forward, catching their face in their hands as they breathed heavily for a few minutes to catch their breath. Their chest ached from ancient wounds they could still only just remember.

Link pushed themself out of bed and to their feet, curling their toes into the thin rug protecting their feet from the bare wood floor. They ran a hand back through their hair and sighed. It was going to be another long day if they were already up. But sometimes that was simply the way things were. It was hardly their first time up before dawn after all. They stifled a yawn as they shuffled down the stairs.

They wandered over to the small kitchen area and rummaged through the drawers until they emerged victorious with a worn book with many tabs sticking out. They set it on the counter and began flipping through it, humming to themself as they perused the contents of the book. They had gathered a surprising number of recipes just by wandering around, but they had also remembered some along with their other memories of Zelda.

After several moments, they stopped flipping pages and decided on one recipe they had yet to try. They had discovered it during one of their trips to Gerudo Town. It probably hadn’t been intended as a breakfast meal, but food was food. They kept humming as they set about gathering the required ingredients and other cooking utensils. It was a simple enough recipe - just some fruit, a couple vegetables, and milk. They cut up the fruit and vegetables as they let the milk begin to heat in the pot.

They had learned a while back that you had to go slow with heating milk. It had taken a few failed attempts however and at least a few bottles worth of milk. Now they knew what to do. When the milk was warm, they added in the other ingredients, stirring slowly and steadily. It was therapeutic sometimes to cook, especially something that would take a while like a stew. It was easy to lose themself in their own soft humming and the savoury scents wafting up from the cooking pot.

They stayed like that for several minutes, making sure the milk did not curdle or the fruits and vegetables stick to the bottom of the pot. When they were eventually satisfied, they covered the pot with a lid and moved from the kitchen to the table. They sat down in their usual seat and grabbed a book from its place upside down on their plate. They leaned back in their chair as they returned to their reading from the previous night. They had decided after regaining the last of their memories that they would take a break from the bright screen of the Sheikah Slate. It only made the ache in their chest worse, after all.

It was better to lose themself in a book. It was better to keep themself occupied with other things. They knew they weren’t prepared yet to take on Calamity Ganon, but they couldn’t allow even for a moment the thought of what happened - was still happening - to Zelda to cross their mind. They already had the weight of Hyrule’s fate laying heavily upon their shoulders.

Link set the book back down and, with their elbows on the table, pressed their face into their hands. Everyone was counting on them. Everyone was placing all of their hopes on Link’s ability to defeat Ganon. But what if they couldn’t? From all they had remembered, the original plan one hundred years ago had fallen apart, and they had failed miserably to stop Calamity Ganon from taking control of the castle. Their failure had been so complete that not only had the four champions been conquered and trapped within their Divine Beasts, Link themself had very nearly died. Only Zelda’s intervention had spared their life. And now it was only they who remained.

Link jumped as they heard a knock on their front door. They silently cursed themself as they pushed back from the table and stood up, smoothing their shirt reflexively as they walked to the door. They pulled it open without further thought, but froze when they caught sight of who was staring down at them from the other side. They blinked as they looked up at the familiar face of Sidon, prince of the Zora.

“I hope you don’t mind me coming around. I heard you were living here in Hateno and thought I would visit,” Sidon said with his trademark smile.

Link was caught off-guard. After successfully calming Ruta and gaining Mipha’s Grace, they had assumed their connection with the Zora was essentially at its end. Sure they could visit the Zora’s domain freely, but they were still a Hylian, even if they were also the princess’ champion. But here Sidon was, standing just outside Link’s very own home. The prince seemed almost awkward this far from his watery kingdom. He was tall and built for swimming, not for trekking the countryside or living in hilly villages. He had to duck his head to save it from hitting the doorway as Link stepped aside to let him in.

“I will admit,” Sidon began once the door was shut behind him, “I did not learn of you living here by chance. After all you did for my people, well I wanted to find a way to repay you. My father told me that Impa may know how to find you. I went to see her, and she said that you had recovered your memories. That’s great news!”

Link smiled faintly until the mention of their memories came up. Their brow furrowed and they let out a soft sigh. Sidon looked confused, but Link only gestured toward the table as they turned their focus to the kitchen. Sidon pulled back an empty chair and sat down. Though the chair was too small and his knees were bent nearly to his chest, he didn’t complain. He waited quietly instead for Link to remove the pot from stove and ladle some of the stew into two bowls.

“Letting me in and feeding me? Am I not supposed to be repaying you?” Sidon asked, though his expression was warm and his gaze bright. Link felt the aching in their chest returning. “Thank you,” Sidon said, softer now as Link returned to the table and set one of the bowls in front of the Zora prince.

Link offered a small smile as they sat back down in their own chair and moved their book aside to make room for the bowl of stew. It had been a long time, they realised absently, since they last ate a proper meal with someone else. There was never any time, it seemed, to sit for a full meal when they were out exploring. And when they allowed themselves a moment to rest at their home, they never had any visitors. Most people seemed to think they were too busy to interrupt or intrude upon. Sometimes Link wished they would, if only to end the clinging silence.

“Did you make this yourself?” Sidon’s question brought Link’s focus back to the present, and they nodded. “It’s delicious! Nothing like what we usually eat at home. There it’s always fish, fish, fish. Not that I don’t like fish - it’s delicious - but I’ve never had flavours like this before.”

Link smiled and felt warmth creeping toward their cheeks at the flattery. For a moment, they allowed themself to just appreciate the compliments, even if they found them hard to accept. They considered showing Sidon the recipe and offering him some ingredients before they caught themself. Sidon wasn’t here for recipes or cooking lessons. He was here because he was a prince and Link had helped out his people. He was doing his duty, that was all - or that was what Link told themself. It would be better that way, they thought, better to keep from getting attached. If their memories had taught them anything, it was that their life was too dangerous for attachments. They had seen the pain Zelda suffered because of her inability to save the champions from Calamity Ganon. They were unsure if they themself could tolerate a similar loss.

“Are you feeling alright, Link?” Sidon murmured, setting his spoon down and reaching to rest a hand gently on Link’s shoulder. “If you wish to talk, I will listen. I know it is...difficult for you. It is alright if you do not say anything either.”

Link looked up and caught Sidon’s gaze. It was soft and comforting. The hand on their shoulder was warm and solid, a physical anchor to secure them in the present. They sighed, swallowed a lump in their throat, and glanced quickly away for a moment. When they turned back to meet Sidon’s gaze again, their expression was resolute. They took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy exhale.

“What if I fail again?” Link said, voice little more than a whisper, though it did not waver.

“You did not f-”

“I was her knight, but I could not protect her. She had to save me,” they continued steadily, tone soft and solemn. “I lost my memories and the only sword that can counter the malice of Calamity Ganon.”

“I remember what happened one hundred years ago. It was not your fault Calamity Ganon took control of the Divine Beasts and the Guardians. You did all you could to save all of Hyrule.”

“I still failed.”

Link’s eyes dropped to study the stew in the bowl in front of them. They lifted their spoon to stir the contents weakly. The smell was still enticing them to eat more, but the knots in their stomach made it hard to consider enjoying food. They chewed on their bottom lip as Sidon watched them quietly. How pitiful and weak must he have thought they were. Their stomach churned, and they closed their eyes to try to get the world and their mind to settle down.

“You did not have to help us all these years later,” Sidon said after several long and silent minutes. “Whatever you may say, it was your choice. Just as it was Mipha’s choice to serve as the champion of our people. She did not give you her grace and armour for no reason. She believed in you all those years ago, and she still does. That Ruta has returned to her old self is proof enough for me.”

“I couldn’t save the other champions, I couldn’t save Zelda, I couldn’t even save myself,” Link replied, tone growing steadily with each word as their emotions stormed to the surface. “And then _I_ was saved with the shrine’s power, when I failed everyone!”

“Link,” Sidon said quietly, settling his free hand over Link’s hand where it was curled tightly around their spoon. “The princess clearly believes in you just as my sister does. She left you these memories for a reason. She doesn’t think you’ve failed. She knows you can win - you _will_ win.”

Link pitched forward slightly as their hands dropped from the table to their sides, balled into fists that trembled with each quaking breath they took. They didn’t look up as hot tears rolled down their cheeks and chin, dripped onto the wood table they were leaned over. They cried for all of the things they had lost, for all of the people they never got to say goodbye to, for the years they missed and the words unspoken and the fear and the pain and the loneliness and the guilt. They wept until their tears ran out and their shuddering shoulders stilled. When the storm finally calmed, they slowly looked up toward Sidon.

They hadn’t known what to expect from the prince after such an outburst, but they did not expect what they saw. They did not expect the look of deep concern. They did not expect a hand reaching to carefully wipe away the wet streaks on their cheeks. They did not expect the sudden rush of movement that brought Sidon out of his chair and to the floor to kneel at Link’s side. They did not expect the glimmer of something slipping from the corner of Sidon’s eye.

“Listen to me, Link. Even if you did not defeat Calamity Ganon, you wouldn’t - it wouldn’t…” Sidon trailed off, taking a moment and looking away to collect his thoughts. He returned his gaze to Link’s after a few breaths and nodded his head firmly to shore up his own resolve. “Even if you gave up right now, I wouldn’t blame you. You already sacrificed yourself once for all of us. Even the other champions have never been expected to sacrifice themselves twice. If you gave up on your quest, I would understand.”

Link felt their chest tightening again as fresh tears threatened to spill from their eyes. Their fingers curled tight around the sides of the seat of their chair and their knuckles whitened. They drew faltering breaths as they tried to bring themself back down from the edge of despair. What could they have ever done to deserve such forgiving and reassuring sentiments? What could they have possibly done?

Sidon interrupted Link’s thoughts, however, as he shifted forward and pulled Link into a tight embrace. He realised how small Link was in his arms, how fragile and hurting they were beneath the quiet facade. And even more strongly, he understood how his sister could have fallen for a Hylian like this. He felt Link lean into the hug after a moment and allowed them to stay close to his chest until he felt their breathing slow down once again. When Link had stilled, Sidon pulled back just enough so that he could look at Link properly.

“Before the Great Calamity, you had the aid of all of the royal forces and the other champions to support your quest to defeat Ganon. I am not as strong as all of the king’s men, and I do not have my sister’s ability to heal, but I will do all I can to help you, to protect you.”

“I-”

“Please, Link, you do not have to face this alone. You should never have to face something so terrible alone. You saved my people and gave peace to Mipha. Let me help you, just once. You have already helped so many others yourself.”

Link didn’t respond, but after a few seconds leaned forward to press their cheek to Sidon’s chest. They took measured breaths and tried to quiet their mind. They wanted to protest - they felt like they _had_ to protest. Everything they did was their duty, was what they were meant to do from the beginning. Who were they to demand or even to request someone else put themselves at risk for their sake?

But Sidon’s arms were strong and warm, encompassing them in a feeling of safety they hadn’t felt since they had awoken from their hundred-year slumber. And Sidon’s words were spoken so genuinely, offering them support they never would have asked for. And for all their fears and apprehensions, in that moment, all they wanted was to say yes. They slowly took a deep breath in.

“Thank you,” Link said, looking up to catch Sidon’s caring gaze. “I was afraid to go alone.”


End file.
